Differences in British and

American English
“England and America are two countries divided
by a common language.”
~George Bernard Shaw
 What does this mean?

I put on a jumper and raced to catch a lift.

Once outside, I discovered it was dark and
I was feeling mad. "I should have brought
a torch," I thought. At the underground I
bought a return ticket. "How am I going to
get a rise from my boss?" I wondered.
Word confusions with one meaning
American British
Gas Petrol
Truck Lorry
Bathroom Loo
Line Queue
Stove Hob
Napkins Serviettes
Eggplant Aubergine
Zuchinni Courgette
 Translate this sentence!
British English:
“I was waiting in queue for the loo before getting some petrol for my lorry
when I realized I left the hob on and the aubergines were probably burning!”

American English:
“I was waiting in line for the bathroom before getting some gas for my truck
when I realized I left the stove on and the eggplant was probably burning!”
 Word confusion with multiple
meanings
 Appetizer/Entree  Flashlight/Torch
 Bank Teller/Cashier  A Flirt/Tart
 French fries/Chips  Hood (car)/Bonnet
 Cigarette/Fag  Jello/Jelly
 Dessert/Pudding  Jelly/Jam
 Eraser/Rubber  Pants/Trousers
 Soccer/Football  Private school/Public
school
 Sweater/Jumper
 Public School/State school
 Suspenders/Braces
 Undershirt/Vest
 Underwear/Pants
Potentially embarrassing situations:
“rubber”

Eraser Condom

“Excuse me, do you have a rubber?”

Potentially embarrasing situations”
“pants”

underwear trousers

“ My other jeans ripped, so I’ve been wearing these

pants for the past three days!”
 Potentially confusing situations
*If a British person
Asks you about football…
…they mean soccer
Asks you bring pudding…
…they mean dessert
Puts on a jumper…
…they mean a sweater
Wears braces….
…wears suspenders
Wears suspenders…
…wears garters
 Other confusing situations…
 Ask for chips in England, and you’ll get
French Fries, not potato “crisps”
 Tell a British friend to pick up some jelly at
the store, and they’ll bring home gelatin
(Jell-o) not jam
 A note on schooling
In the US, a public In England, a public
school is government school requires
funded tutition

In the US, a private In England, a state

school requires tuition school is government
funded
 Is there really a language barrier?

In his history of the Second World War, Winston Churchill

records that differences in the interpretation of the verb
"to table" caused an argument between British and
American planners. The British wanted a matter tabled
immediately because it was important, and the
Americans insisted it should not be tabled at all because
it was important. In British English, the term means "to
discuss now" (the issue is brought to the table), whereas
in American English it means "to defer" (the issue is left
on the table).
How did this divergence occur?
 The Atlantic ocean served as a major
divide, allowing the two dialects to develop
 American English picked up words from
Native American languages as well as from
Dutch, Spanish, and French settlers
 Noah Webster decided to solidify and
standardize American English in his
dictionary
 Noah Webster
 Writer of the first American
dictionary in 1806
 Believed that Americans’ language
should reflect the way they spoke,
and be distinct from British English
 Came of age during the American
revolution, and therefore placed
great emphasis on America’s cultural
separation from England
 Simplified spellings of many words,
such as ploughplow
centrecenter colourcolor
 Added uniquely American words,
such as squash and chowder
The languages diverge…and converge

 The differences in the languages reached

its peak right after the industrial revolution

 With the spread of modern technology,

more terms are becoming common
Just for fun!
 Bibliography
 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atlantis/2284/

 http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/03/032001_language.jhtml

 http://books.google.com/books?
id=13SyhqA6R28C&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=two+countries+divided+by+a+commo
n+language&source=bl&ots=ImLkZ4CT95&sig=TWX1u1ZKRQqRKBxr0jt35C4id4U&hl
=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPR3,M1

 http://blog.languagetranslation.com/public/item/118655

 http://www.effingpot.com/

 “The American Language” an Inquiry into the Development of English in the United
States
by H.L. Mencken
http://www.bartleby.com/185/